What was a famous quote by Voltaire that reflected his beliefs?

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do. To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth. It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.

Did Voltaire say it is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere?

It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere. Life is bristling with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden.

Did Voltaire say disapprove of what you say?

Voltaire’s tolerance finds its highest expression in the famous sentence of his letter to Helvetius: “I wholly disapprove of what you say and will defend to the death your right to say it.”

What was Voltaire’s main idea?

Voltaire believed above all in the efficacy of reason. He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authority—religious or political or otherwise—should be immune to challenge by reason. He emphasized in his work the importance of tolerance, especially religious tolerance.

What was Voltaire main idea?

What was Voltaire’s philosophy? Voltaire believed above all in the efficacy of reason. He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authority—religious or political or otherwise—should be immune to challenge by reason.

Why was Voltaire important to the Enlightenment?

Voltaire’s failure to produce an original philosophy was, in a sense, counterbalanced by his deliberate cultivation of a philosophy of action; his ‘common sense’ crusade against superstition and prejudice and in favour of religious toleration was his single greatest contribution to the progress of Enlightenment.

What was Voltaire’s most famous idea?

He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authority—religious or political or otherwise—should be immune to challenge by reason. He emphasized in his work the importance of tolerance, especially religious tolerance.